Tracing Wool / Sheep Inc Interview

Collection: Sea Change

Here's a Response to Anti-Wool Agenda: Transparency and Regenerative Sourcing

The future of fashion isn’t synthetic. It’s natural. It’s regenerative. And The Sheep Inc brand embodies and symbolises ideas from a carbon-negative supply chain, premium merino wool garments and regenerative farms to that word which is at the core of many debates in the fashion world: transparency.

Subir Ghosh

8 April 2025

6 minutes

Long Story, Cut Short

Before Sheep Inc was incepted in 2019, the search sought sheep reared by farmers who shared the founders’ vision of harmony with the environment and animal welfare.
From sourcing regenerative Merino in New Zealand to building their own Connected Dot technology for transparency, everything was built from scratch—from supply chain to digital infrastructure.
The response to anti-wool campaigns is met with transparency. With regenerative sourcing. With real, data-backed information on animal welfare and environmental impact.

The Sheep Inc mission goes beyond creating exceptional knitwear. It seeks to reimagine the fashion industry's approach to the environment. Instead of merely offsetting emissions, Sheep Inc strives to make a positive impact, pledging to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the manufacturing process creates.

The Shepherd's Dream The Sheep Inc mission goes beyond creating exceptional knitwear. It seeks to reimagine the fashion industry's approach to the environment. Instead of merely offsetting emissions, Sheep Inc strives to make a positive impact, pledging to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the manufacturing process creates. Sheep Inc

At Sheep Inc, their website underlines very clearly, each knitwear piece tells a story, starting with a single thread spun from the fleece of a hand-selected merino sheep. There's, however, more than one story to reckon with here: especially that of the founders of this organisation.

But before one harks back, the latest episode in the saga that has drawn attention is that of monies. In March this year, Sheep Inc completed its £5 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Inside Out LLC. At a time when the activist-driven campaign against wool is becoming strident, a £5 million funding would obviously raise some eyebrows. Only some.

The story in question, nevertheless, began some years ago when long-time friends Edzard van der Wyck and Michael Wessely came together professionally—this time with a shared belief. Their shared conviction was that the fashion industry needed a reset.

"My background is rooted in the creative space and storytelling—starting out in film before moving into fashion, where I co-founded a clothing business. Michael came from a completely different world: corporate finance and fintech. His expertise was in data, systems, and operational rigour—not fashion," says van der Wyck.

That difference went on to become one of their biggest strengths. "Because Michael had no legacy thinking about the industry, he asked questions that often went unchallenged. Why are things made this way? Why is traceability so limited? Why do so many sustainability claims lack substance? His data-first mindset laid the foundation for everything we built at Sheep Inc—ensuring we had the rigour, transparency, and systems in place to avoid the greenwashing we saw elsewhere."

Their website summarises their journey that culminated as Sheep Inc in 2019. "They began a global expedition, trekking across continents, through lush valleys and over snow-capped mountains, in search of the world's finest Merino wool. They sought sheep reared by farmers who shared their vision of harmony with the environment and animal welfare. Thus, was born Sheep Inc, a testament to their relentless pursuit and a beacon of their values. "

It was not just about creating outstanding knitwear--it was as much about that single thread mentioned earlier. "The journey of every garment can be traced back to its origin, thanks to the innovative Connected Dot, an NFC tag ingeniously integrated into the hem. This revolutionary technology offers full transparency, allowing the wearer to unravel the tale of their garment's creation with a tap of a phone."

This would not have materialised if it were not for the ethos that the founders knit assiduously over the years. "We came at it from two different angles—one creative, one analytical—but shared the same ambition: to build a brand that proved a better model was possible."

Sure thing, as "that remains our approach today. Every decision—whether creative or commercial—is built on clarity, accountability, and a deep respect for the responsibility we carry as a brand."

Sheep Inc is headquartered in London, UK, and sells entirely online.

Knitting Each Block

Today, as the company readies for the next phase, the Sheep Inc brand embodies and symbolises ideas from a carbon-negative supply chain, premium merino wool garments and regenerative farms to that word which is at the core of many debates in the fashion world: transparency.

Recollects van der Wyck: "We launched Sheep Inc with a big question: What if clothing could be made with a positive (not just neutral) impact model? Not just with better materials, but with full traceability, a carbon-negative footprint, and an ultra-high-quality product that makes people think differently about what they buy—and where it comes from.”

The path from idea to execution wasn’t necessarily straightforward—but it was focused.

Van der Wyck recounts: "From sourcing regenerative Merino in New Zealand to building our own Connected Dot technology for transparency, every decision demanded thought, precision, and, frankly, a lot of patience. We built everything from scratch—from supply chain to digital infrastructure. It’s been a balance of creative invention and operational rigour. And while we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we’re even more focused on where we’re going."

But companies like Sheep Inc do not have to only build their own brand, but deal with externalities too. Campaigns against wool have become increasingly vocal, perhaps even hostile. What does Sheep Inc make of them?

"We understand where some of the concern comes from. There are parts of the wool industry that haven’t lived up to the standards they should—both environmentally and ethically. That has to be acknowledged. But not all wool is created equal. And not all campaigns tell the full story.

"There’s a growing narrative that paints all wool as harmful—and in some cases, that narrative is driven by vested interests. Particularly from sectors invested in synthetic or plastic-based fibres. It’s no coincidence that many anti-wool campaigns are backed by companies profiting from petrochemical alternatives. We don’t respond with kid gloves. We respond with transparency. With regenerative sourcing. With real, data-backed information on animal welfare and environmental impact," van der Wyck contends.

For Sheep Inc, it should not matter. "We’ve built a system that holds up to scrutiny — and we welcome that scrutiny."

Edzard van der Wyck

Co-Founder

Sheep Inc

Wool may be just 0.9% of the global fibre market, but that only highlights the opportunity. Natural fibres like merino outperform synthetics on nearly every front—breathability, durability, biodegradability, and impact. They just need to be done right. To grow acceptance, we focus on showing—not telling. We show why Merino needs less washing. Why it lasts longer. Where it comes from. Who’s behind it. How it’s made.

Market Dynamics

The £5 million Series A funding round was led by Inside Out LLC, founded by environmental advocate Suzy Amis Cameron. Inside Out’s Fashion, Textiles and Home vertical (one of six divisions at Inside Out LLC), was developed to drive industry-wide environmental and social impact.

Putting in £5 million into a merino project at a time when the share of wool in the global fibre market is only 0.9% would mean a lot of thought would have gone into it.

Responds Matteo Ward, CEO of Fashion, Textile and Home at Inside Out: "Our investments are not driven solely by financial considerations as we want to transform business into a force for good. For us, returns on investment are one, important variable in a broader equation that includes returns on impact and integrity."

Ward believes wool is one of the supply chains "we believe can yield the highest returns in this sense. A healthy, responsible, and ethical wool supply chain can generate systemic value for all stakeholders involved—for both makers and users, as well as for society and the environment. Unfortunately, this value has gradually been overlooked in favour of synthetic fibres, which are cheaper and faster to produce but come with an alarmingly high environmental and social cost. The fact that the wool industry is struggling while synthetics now represent more than 60% of the fibre market is a loss for everyone and a challenge we must address."

That's something Sheep Inc plans to do. Says van der Wyck: "We raised this round to scale—but without compromise. That means deepening investment in regenerative supply chains—strengthening relationships with our farm and mill partners. It means further developing our technology to drive product transparency and better consumer understanding. And it means expanding our product categories with the same level of craft, care, and longevity at their core."

The positive market dynamics that Inside Out is seeing are not only the projected growth of the wool market but also "the growing awareness of the negative impact certain materials and dyes can have on our skin, also thank to our newly released documentary Let Them Be Naked (directed by Jeff Garner and executive produced by our founder and CEO Suzy Amis Cameron)."

As a result, "wool is once again being recognised as a more responsible and safe material for a wide range of products—not just sweaters but also swimwear, intimates, and sportswear. Understanding the need for continuous innovation in the sourcing and production of this ‘ancient’ material, we are committed to strengthening and restoring confidence in the wool industry and, in general, in natural fibers. This commitment is reflected not only in our investment in Sheep Inc. but also in Rubisco, a New Zealand-based textile factory specialising in natural fiber innovation, with a focus on wool and hemp."

Van der Wyck builds up the context: "Wool may be just 0.9% of the global fibre market, but that only highlights the opportunity. Natural fibres like merino outperform synthetics on nearly every front—breathability, durability, biodegradability, and impact. They just need to be done right. To grow acceptance, we focus on showing—not telling. We show why Merino needs less washing. Why it lasts longer. Where it comes from. Who’s behind it. How it’s made."

He has a promise to keep: "The future of fashion isn’t synthetic. It’s natural. It’s regenerative. And we’re building towards that."

The journey of every garment can be traced back to its origin, thanks to the innovative Connected Dot, an NFC tag ingeniously integrated into the hem. Sheep Inc

Subir Ghosh

SUBIR GHOSH is a Kolkata-based independent journalist-writer-researcher who writes about environment, corruption, crony capitalism, conflict, wildlife, and cinema. He is the author of two books, and has co-authored two more with others. He writes, edits, reports and designs. He is also a professionally trained and qualified photographer.

Full Bio